


I Think I Like You A Latte

by CandyCravingDemon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Hinata Shouyou, Cinnamon Roll Hinata Shouyou, Coffee Shops, Fluff, KageHina - Freeform, Kageyama takes his coffee black, Karasuno coffee shop, M/M, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyCravingDemon/pseuds/CandyCravingDemon
Summary: Kageyama always found himself drawn to the small coffee shop on the corner. He couldn’t really explain why. Maybe it was the freshly ground and brewed, rich, decadent coffee that kept drawing him in, or maybe it was the cute sunset haired barista. The last thing he had expected was getting roped into a part-time job at the coffee joint.





	I Think I Like You A Latte

Kageyama looked at his normal cup of black coffee forlornly, watching as steam rose from the small hole. Swishing the dark liquid around, he let out a drawn out sigh. The more he thought about it, the more he realized, people were a lot like coffee. Some were sugary and filled to the brim with a bunch of caffeine, like the short sunset haired waiter that had prepared this for him. Then there were others that gave that little boost of energy, that you needed to keep you going, but not too sweet, nor too bitter, a perfect harmony of in between. There was also just coffee at its roots, black, untainted and bitter to the tastebuds and the soul. Finally, there was the cheap watered down gas-station coffee, not enough buzz and hardly enough coffee grounds.

Pulling the cup away from his lips, Kageyama studied the small sloppy handwriting written on the side of his disposable cup. He inadvertently found himself tracing the thick lines of the sharpie that spelled out his name, with his finger. Pursing his lips his gaze fell skywards as he swished the remainder of his beverage around.

He took his coffee black. It was the only way he could withstand it. This mere thought had him thinking, did his coffee preference indicate he was a bitter person? Shaking his head, he chugged the last of the warm stimulant, and dropped the container into the trash.

Everyday Kageyama found himself going back to the same old coffee shop day after day, week after week. He wasn't sure what was so special about it, but he always found himself drawn back to the same old booth in the corner, to the same worn crimson cushions, to the same old wobbly table. Maybe it was the soft music that gave the small cafe its allure, or maybe it was the calm, serene atmosphere, or maybe it was just the simple pastel menu. Kageyama never ordered anything aside from his usual cup of black coffee, but the menu never ceased to amaze him, with the way the font curled and the way the colors all perfectly blended together. That all in itself was enough to please Tobio.

He inadvertently found himself heading to the small cafe now, his body moving automatically. He hesitated at the entrance, pausing a moment to acknowledge the dainty wooden sign reading the name of the cafe, ' _Karasuno_ '. That too, was delicately burned into the wood. He paused at the familiar chime of a bell above his head as he pulled the door open. Almost immediately, the rich aromatic scent of coffee grounds filled his nostrils, with the unmistakable hint of cake batter. He let out a content sigh as he made his way to his usual booth, the one he had deemed as his own. Not to mention, at this hour, he knew the kinda cute, perky, sunset haired waiter was assigned to attend to this section of tables.

He _almost_ smiled at the sight of the short teenager, the boy nearly stumbling and tripping on his face as he quickly dashed over to where the dark haired teen was sitting. Glancing at the silver glinting name tag, Kageyama made a mental note to remember the name inscribed on it. ' _Hinata_ ', it read in fancy black print.

"W- Welcome to Karasuno coffee shop and cafe, do you already have anything in mind that you want to order? If not I strongly recommend the-" Hinata paused mid-sentence, inadvertently narrowing his eyes and cocking his head to one side. "Wait a minute... Weren't you just here a few minutes ago...?"

Kageyama pursed his lips, closing the pastel menu, knowing he'd never need to look off of it to order. "I believe you have me mistaken."

Hinata nodded slowly, a smirk surfacing across his lips as a laugh bubbled out of his throat. "Black coffee, no sugar, no creamer. Mr. I-Want-Coffee-As-Black-As-My-Soul Kageyama, right?"

Tobio's posture immediately straightened as a light pink tinge came across his face, warmth flooding his cheeks. He haughtily turned his head to the side in embarrassment, unable to meet the waiter's fiery amber eyes. "That's me." He mumbled quietly, fidgeting with his hands anxiously under the table.

Another cheery wide grin surfaced across Hinata's features, a smile so bright and genuine, Kageyama feared he would go blind from the barista's seemingly infinite supply of sunlight. With his always perky and happy-go-lucky attitude, he constantly seemed to radiate an almost intoxicating, infectious amount of happiness.

"I presume you want the usual?"

Kageyama nodded meekly, watching the ginger leave to create his requested concoction. He'd found himself coming to Karasuno more and more frequently once he'd discovered that this adorable shorty had taken up a part-time job here. Maybe it was the attraction, and the unfamiliar rapid contracting of his heart whenever he set sight upon the ginger, that drew Kageyama here, or maybe it was the limited time discount on coffee that lured him here instead.

"Hey Mr. Black-soul, do you mind if I join you? I'm going on break." Hinata called, snapping Kageyama out of his trance, waving around a second cup in his hand.

Dumbly, Tobio grinned, though he didn't dare let the emotion be painted thickly on his face as he gestured to the seat across from him. He watched in fascination as Hinata strode over to the booth, watching the clouds of steam rise from the cups. Once the one that had been deemed his own, was placed in front of him, he studied the small sloppy handwriting that spelled his name; Written in black sharpie in the same manner, the one he had traced with his finger so many times.

"I don't see how you manage to drink it black," Hinata started as he pulled various packets of sugar and containers of creamer out of his uniform pocket. "It's way too bitter for me." He said with a nervous laugh, sticking out his tongue and shaking his head.

Tobio watched in morbid fascination as Hinata dumped the various condiments into his own coffee, turning the dark, ominous, untainted color into a milky, creamy, caramel color. He hadn't realized it, but his mouth had fallen agape in genuine shock. He counted them mentally in his head, his mouth only falling open wider as the condiment count seemed to only increase.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Ten packets of sugar. As he watched the ginger stir the concoction, he couldn't help but cringe at the sheer begrudgingly and sickeningly sweet flavor it must've entitled. Even though he wasn't going to drink it himself, he could almost feel his tastebuds screaming in agony as he observed the barista dumping in another 5 cups of hazelnut creamer. He tired to hold back the shudder of his muscles and the grimace that threatened to surface on his face.

"Dumbass, you've ruined such a beautiful masterpiece." Tobio near whimpered as the ginger began to guzzle his carb and diabetes indulgent drink.

"No I haven't, I made it better." Hinata stated and argued simply, already getting fidgety as caffeine began to pour full force into his veins, only making him even more hyperactive.

Kageyama shook his head in disapproval, letting out a sigh of discontent. Although, he couldn't stop a pleased smile from surfacing upon his features as the rich and decadent, aromatic taste of freshly ground and brewed, untainted coffee hit his tongue. He let out a satisfied sigh. In Tobio's opinion, Hinata's own taste in coffee was atrocious, but he had to admit, the ginger could make one hell of an espresso.

**X~X~X**

Kageyama quietly hummed along to the tune of the song playing in his headphones under his breath, shivering as the frigid, bitter, winter air caressed his face. He didn't even have to think about it for his feet to guide themselves to the dainty cafe he visited frequently. He'd made it a daily habit to visit Karasuno in the late afternoons, so he could catch the ginger on break. It had been about two months since Hinata had initially sat down and had coffee with him, and now, drinking coffee and pouring their hearts out to each other, day in day out, was like clockwork, a sort of therapy almost.

Upon stopping at the small shop, glancing away from the wooden entrance sign, another sign posted at the edge of the transparent glass caught Kageyama's eyes. His eyes skimmed over the letters, it taking a moment for his brain to process them. ' _Help wanted. Now hiring smiling faces and dedicated employees'_.

Scoffing, he didn't pay the plea for help any mind, only bothering to pull up the scarf around his neck tighter as he stepped into the cafe. The golden bell above the door chimed, signaling his presence. He let out a gasp at the abnormal influx of customers. The line was so long, he had just barely managed to squeeze inside the door without having to stand and wait, holding it open. Normally there were maybe a handful of customers that came in during this hour, but there was _never_ this many people.

His eyes then darted over to a familiar sunset haired teenager. He watched Hinata hastily dart from behind the counter, to the tables, and back again, nearly stumbling and tripping with each delivery. He felt his lips inadvertently curl back into a deep frown, his eyes squeezing shut as he physically saw the barista's foot get caught on the leg of a chair, sending him and the tray of beverages and pastries he had been carrying, tumbling down onto the floor with him. Tobio tensed as a sharp yelp of pain emitted from the waiter's throat, accompanied by the loud crash of glass plates. Opening his eyes to survey the damage, he noticed that now Hinata was lying sprawled across the floor, laying in a mess of spilled drinks, cake icing and glass plate shards. Upon further inspection he also noticed the undoubtedly scalding coffees, had been spilled all over the waiter's uniform.

Gritting his teeth, and still forcing a smile through his throbbing burnt skin and cut, bleeding hands and knees, Hinata began to apologize profusely to the customer who had presumably ordered the now demolished snack. Hinata winced as he stood up, feeling the sharp pinch of glass in his skin. Apologizing once more, he then quickly grabbed a broom and a dustpan to sweep up the mess he had created.

Once Hinata had began sweeping, another light complected, pale gray haired male approached the ginger, kindness shimmering brightly in his eyes. Kageyama read his name tag as ' _Sugawara_.' "Don't worry Hinata, Daichi and I will take care of it from here, go get patched up and take a break for a while. I know you must be tired since the manger is making you work double shifts. We can't have you overworking yourself." He said with a gentle lighthearted laugh. "There should be a first aid kit in the back somewhere."

Just like that, Suga had taken the liberty of cleaning up Hinata's mess and serving the customers, while who Kageyama assumed to be Daichi, manned the registers.

After contemplating it over for a while, Kageyama finally managed the courage to trail after the ginger into the door strictly marked as ' _Employees only'_.

Upon entering, he could already hear Shoyo letting out hisses of pain and muttering under his breath.

"Are... Are you okay?" Kageyama asked slowly, causing the the sunset haired teen to flinch.

Slowly, Hinata turned and glanced over his shoulder at the dark haired boy, a sigh of relief inadvertently pushing past his lips. "I've definitely been better." He admits with a nervous laugh and a weak dopey grin. His expression subtly dropping, Hinata then heaved out an overdramatic sigh as he sunk down and slouched into the chair he had been sitting in, a bandaged hand running through his fiery locks.

It was in that moment, Kageyama could sense the pure exhaustion that leaked and radiated off the barista, almost like a toxic chemical. Heavy, dark, almost black semi-circles (almost as dark as his coffee) hung deeply below the ginger's warm honey amber eyes, and his skin looked pale almost as if the ginger hadn't slept in days, like his bloodstream had been replaced entirely by caffeine. An imminent crash was destined to take its toll on Hinata's weary, sleep deprived body.

"Shifts have been rough lately, I've been working double shifts back to back since we're low on staff at the moment. Tsukishima hasn't been showing up for the last week, and he won't answer any calls. Nishinoya and Tanaka filed for two weeks worth of vacation together, and Yamaguchi called in sick a few hours ago, and with a doctor's notice he said it'll be a few days before he's not contagious anymore. So it's just been me, Daichi, and Suga lately."

Kageyama let out a low whistle, moving to stand alongside the ginger. "That's impressive you have that much endurance and stamina, to power through that many hours."

"But I'd kill for a nap." Hinata whined, draping an arm across his face, leaning his head back. Suddenly, quickly springing up, like the caffeine in his system had decided to give him a quick jumpstart, Hinata looked at Kageyama with wide shimmering eyes, almost pleading in desperation. "You... You perhaps wouldn't be interested in a position would you? Karasuno's hiring right now..." Hinata hinted slyly, looking up into the taller teen's eyes, hoping to pierce through to his soul and spark some sympathy.

"No, I'm not really looking for a job at the mom-" Kageyama started, holding his hands up and waving them dismissively, but he was quickly cut off as Hinata dropped to the floor onto his knees, groveling in plea of the darker haired teen's assistance.

"Please? Pretty please with cherries on top?" Hinata added, noticing the hesitation in the dark haired teen's eyes. Desperate, he then sputtered and blurted, "I- If you don't I'll... I'll water down your coffee when you order it and I'll drown it in sugar and creamer!"

Kageyama grimaced at the mere thought of it, his shoulders involuntarily rising with a shudder. As he was about to retort back that he could just find another coffee joint, realization struck him before the statement left his lips. Was he really willing to sacrifice one of the only beverages that cleared his mind and unclouded the hazy cluster of his burning emotions? Coffee was his instant go-to coping mechanism, the bitterness further raveling his soul into the all too well known, but comforting darkness. The burning of his tongue, reassurance that he was a living breathing being; that he was alive, and the aromatic steam and the aroma it carried with it, filled some sort of void within him. As his eyes flicked over warm honey amber ones, he felt his heart contract painfully in his chest as he dove deeper into the pool of realization. Was he willing to lose his daily conversation partner? His outlet? His, never would he dare admit it aloud, his potential _soulmate_?

Kageyama wasn't sure what it was, but something about Hinata made his heart thrum against his rib cage, constricting and squeezing almost unbearably tight in his chest. He'd never experienced these feelings before, and even though they made his cheeks glow unbearably warm, and made his hands go clammy, he was obsessed with the emotion. Quite simply, he was obsessed with the barista that prepared coffee for him probably _at least_ twice a day.

"I'll consider it." Kageyama mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Hinata.

Quickly springing up, the ginger then tackled Kageyama to the floor in a tight embrace. "Thank you thank you thank you!" He blurted, his eyes shimmering with newfound perseverance.

"Dumbass I said I'd consider it, I didn't say I'd take the job yet." The darker haired male huffed in annoyance, though he could feel his cheeks growing warmer.

" _Yet_." Hinata chirped smugly, a wide smirk settling across his lips.

Kageyama rolled his eyes, muttering and grumbling under his breath, shaking his head.

**X~X~X**

"W- Welcome to Karasuno, what can I get you?" The darker haired male choked out, his smile uncomfortably forced. Despite his friendly intent, he still gave off a threatening aura to customers.

As the customer began to spout off their order, Kageyama stared on in blank, disgusted, confusion. First off, who could stand to drink anything other than pure, untainted, black coffee? Second, he had no idea about what he was doing. He had no fucking idea how to work this cash register. He pursed his lips and stole a glance at Hinata. As per the usual, the sunset haired teen was waiting tables and making coffee. Daichi was stationed at a deep fryer and tasked with cooking food from the menu. While Suga was in the back baking pastries.

Closing his eyes he exhaled slowly, putting on a front that he knew what he was doing. He didn't need them, he could figure this out on his own. He was independent, he always had been. Reassured, his cockiness getting the best of him, he then pounded at random buttons on the cash register, confidence spurring in his chest. He nodded to himself in approval as he handed the customer back their change.

"So Kageyama, how're you holding up on your first day?" Hinata called as he strode over to the taller male, a certain sweetness in his voice.

"Fine dumbass." The darker haired employee scoffed bitterly, arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"Language, Kageyama!" Suga called from the back, peering his head out and giving Kageyama a judging parental gaze.

Tobio frowned, his bottom lip protruding into a sulky pout as he mumbled under his breath.

Hinata laughed fondly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, Suga's pretty touchy about cussing in front of customers. He gets onto Tsukishima and Tanaka for it a lot."

"Um excuse me, this... This isn't what I ordered." A customer suddenly called over the counter as they held up their beverage.

"Oh I'm sorry about that!" Hinata called sheepishly as he rushed over and took the drink from them. "What was it that you had? It's usually not like me to mess up an order this badly..." Hinata trailed off as he looked over the last order ticket that had been sent his way.

Tobio paled at the small comment, fidgeting as Hinata jotted down what the customer said, then continuing to compare the supposed order and the actual order.

It definitely wasn't his fault. Hinata had most indefinitely screwed up, it definitely wasn't because he himself, didn't know how to work the register or anything.

As Hinata simultaneously mixed together the requested coffee, he turned and gave Kageyama a knowing a glance, a cheeky smirk on his face, a grin slipping past his lips. "You don't know how to work the register, do you Kageyama?" Despite the inadvertent sarcasm in his observation, he said it in the most sweet, caring, and understanding tone that Tobio had ever heard. He felt his heart melt a little bit. Kageyama swore he was going to get cavities from how adorable the stupid sunset haired waiter was. All because of his stupid, blinding smile, and his stupid dopey laugh.

"...No." Kageyama admitted finally, his gaze averted from Shoyo's, unable to meet his bright hazel eyes. His ego physically deflated, Hinata's knowing smirk only puncturing it further. A scowl tugged at his lips as he silently admitted defeat.

"Why didn't you say something Bakayama?" Hinata laughed, his tone gentle and the opposite of what Tobio had been expecting. "It's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it." He started to try to peer over Kageyama's shoulder, but eventually gave up from that when he physically had to jump to see over the dark haired male.

Hinata could jump high, like extremely high considering no taller than he was, Kageyama noted.

Hinata then settled leaning around Kageyama's side, his hands and his arms brushing against Kageyama's side as he pointed out different keys on the cash register, then proceeding to explain how to work it.

Kageyama felt the heat rush to his cheeks at their closeness, butterflies flitting in his stomach as he felt Hinata's breath gently brushing in and out against him.

**X~X~X**

Kageyama had been thinking about _him_ lately. A lot actually. His bright amber eyes that slowly faded into a subtle hazel or a gentle mocha, depending on the lighting. His dorky, but adorable smile whenever someone complimented his barista skills. The way he would tremble and shake during storms at every crash of thunder, but deny his clearly evident anxiety.

He wasn't sure what it was, but anytime he looked at Hinata, his cheeks suddenly grew warm, and his heart suddenly seemed to beat out of his chest. And when he saw the sunset haired teenager speak to any of his other coworkers, a pretty girl, or just anyone else in general, his chest ached and throbbed, making his blood begin to boil. He had no right to be jealous, but he was.

"You're staring again." Suga called a little teasingly as he leaned against the counter, standing next to Kageyama. Suga's lips were upturned into a lighthearted grin as he eyed between Kageyama and Hinata.

"I was not!" Kageyama huffed in flustered denial, his cheeks burning red.

"Just ask him out already, _Lover Boy_. We can all tell you have a crush on him." Tsukishima mocked, rolling his eyes as Tobio shot him a death glare. "All of your damn lovey-dovey mush is making me sick to my stomach."

"I do not have a crush on him!" Kageyama quipped, crossing his arms firmly against his chest. Sometimes he just couldn't fucking stand that guy, with his always condescending tone and that damn smug grin. What did Tsukishima know about him and Hinata anyway? Kageyama was perfectly content with how things were between him and Hinata right now. Except... he would be lying if he said that he hadn't at least _thought_ about how soft the barista's lips must've been.

"It's fucking _Hinata_ , Kageyama. He probably doesn't even have the heart _to_ reject you." The blond pressed further, his tone flat and bored as he haphazardly swished the mop in his hands against the marble flooring.

"I don't really even talk to him outside of Karasuno..." Kageyama admitted pitifully, shame laced in his voice as he kept his eyes downcast, fiddling with his hands.

"It'll be closing time in a couple minutes," Suga started softly as he gingerly wiped down and cleaned the counter. "Why don't you offer to walk him home? I'm pretty sure he walks to and from work." He suggested, shooting Kageyama a reassuring grin. "Gotta protect him from all those scary thugs." The silver haired male teased, giving Tobio's shoulder a firm reassuring squeeze.

Kageyama stole a glance at Hinata and watched as he tended to the last few customers still seated at tables. Every night, right before everyone left and called it quits for the night, Hinata always made a point to mix up a cup of coffee for everyone. Each cup's contents personalized specifically for each person. Despite already knowing everyone pretty well, he still went to the effort of writing everyone's names in sharpie on the side of the disposable cup. After noticing Hinata give a slight bow and a polite "Thank you for coming, please visit us again." to the customers, Kageyama deduced it was about this time now. The bell above the door gave its harmonious little chime as the customers exited the small coffee shop. With a sigh Hinata then skipped over to the door and flipped the sign to ' _Closed_ '.

Just as Kageyama had predicted, Hinata then sauntered over with his usual end-shift dopey grin. "Another day complete!" He cheered, throwing a pumped fist up into the air. Almost like clockwork, he then began making everyone's usual coffee preferences. As Kageyama watched the ginger mix this and that in mild fascination, he thought about trying something different for once, like maybe a frappe, but by the time he had finally convinced himself to order something other than a black espresso, Hinata was already handing him a disposable cup.

Kageyama sighed to himself, taking in the warmth the cup radiated. He watched as steam rose from the small slit in the lid. He almost always got his cup before everyone else since his coffee was plain and straight from the source. He took small tentative sips, careful not to burn his tongue. He savored the rich, decadent, bittersweet flavor dancing on his tastebuds. Pulling the cup away from his lips and eyeing the same, usual, sloppy handwriting that spelled his name on the side of the cup, he noticed this time something else accompanied it. A series of numbers. He squinted his eyes and slightly cocked his head to one side. Was it a phone number? Hinata's phone number? Heat instantly corroded his cheeks, and he hoped they weren't burning as bright as he felt like they were. He glanced up at Hinata, eying between his cup and the ginger.

He watched as Hinata took the sharpie and scrawled out ' _Tsukishima_ ' on it, the sharpie squeaking as it's felt tip brushed against the paper exterior of the cup. Hinata had omitted the phone number from the cup that was supposedly Tsukishima's, Kageyama observed. Kageyama watched as one after another, Hinata crudely scribbled each of his coworkers' names on separate cups. Each one lacked the number written on his. Kageyama's chest felt tight and compressed, he felt like he couldn't breath. Was this just a friend thing? Or did it mean something more? Did everyone get Hinata's number once they were deemed a friend by the ginger? Or was this Hinata's way of flirting with him? As naive and as simple minded as the sunset haired teen was, the ginger's feelings were impossible for Kageyama to interpret and comprehend.

Kageyama sipped his coffee, unconsciously tuning out the light conversations and the playful banter between his coworkers, lodged deep in his thoughts. What if he was interpreting this wrong? What if he was getting worked up over nothing? What if Hinata was only trying to be friendly, what if there honestly _wasn't_ any ulterior motives behind the simple phone number. He crushed the sides of his empty cup in frustration. Hell, he didn't even know if Hinata was even into guys.

Suddenly, Tobio was pulled from his thoughts as Hinata chirped cheerfully with a wave and a sheepish grin, "I'm heading out, see you guys tomorrow!"

Sugawara shot Kageyama a glance that oozed ' _This is your chance_.' While Daichi seemingly gave a reassuring punch to the shoulder that said ' _Go get 'em tiger_ '.

Gritting his teeth and swallowing his sensitive pride, Kageyama stole one last glance at the numbers on the disposable cup. The familiar handwriting seemingly jumpstarting his nerves and reigniting him with renewed, confident vigor, he sprinted out the door after Hinata.

"Dumbass, wait!" Kageyama called as he darted after the ginger, finally managing to catch up and clasp Hinata's wrist.

"Kageyama?" Shoyo asked confused, a cute sort of uncertainty laced in his voice as he quirked his head to one side, glancing over his shoulder at the taller boy. "What's up?"

Kageyama abruptly turned his head away as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Realizing he was still holding onto Hinata's wrist, He quickly let go. "I- I wanted to walk you home."

Hinata gave him a puzzled looked, eyebrows furrowed, though he didn't object.

Kageyama walked in step next to Hinata, listening to the ginger ramble on about this and that, his passion seemingly caught on making coffee even though they were off work now. Even though it was dark out, with only the dim street lamps to illuminate their way, Kageyama didn't miss the way his eyes twinkled as Shoyo explained about why he loved coffee so much. Kageyama couldn't help but smile ever-so-slightly at seeing Hinata so passionate about something. His heart fluttered in his chest.

"So do you walk home from work everyday?" Tobio finally managed to ask.

"Yep." Hinata replied simply with a nervous laugh. "I'll admit though sometimes it gets pretty scary walking home at night. You meet some pretty scary guys out on the streets at this time." Hinata commented shuddering. "One time there was this really _really_ scary looking guy who tried to mug me. He stole my wallet." The sunset haired teen whined, reminiscing about the loss of his paycheck for that week. "But this time I have you to protect me!" He chirped happily as he intertwined his own hand with Tobio's, swinging their locked hands back and forth. "There's no way someone would attack someone as _huge_ as you!" The ginger carried on, holding his free hand way above his head to mimic Kageyama's height, acting as if their laced fingers were no big deal.

Kageyama's breath hitched as he felt warmth overlapped over his right hand. He glanced down at his hand as he felt it swing with abrupt, newfound momentum back and forth. Butterflies flitted in his stomach, his stomach tying itself into knots as his heart hammered against his ribcage. God, why did Hinata have to be so fucking cute and adorable?!

As much as Kageyama hated to admit it, he was head over heels for the sunset haired barista. He loved every little thing about him, albeit it his messy, tangled wildfire of locks, his gentle features, his fiery amber eyes that sparkled and burned with determination and passion, his stupid but adorable smile, and even his laugh made Kageyama's heart melt. Maybe it was selfish, but Kageyama wanted to call Shoyo his own. He wanted to hold hands like this all the time, Hinata's small, warm hand wrapped snug against his own. He wanted to embrace him tightly and never let go. He wanted to cuddle on the couch and fall asleep in one another's arms after a long session of gaming or after binging an entire series. He wanted to plant gentle kisses on the ginger's forehead and trail them down his neck, and even be a little bit rough sometimes and interlock lips and kiss him as passionately as Hinata's infatuation with coffee. He wanted more. He wasn't content anymore with just having playful banter at work. He wanted something more than just being coworkers. He wasn't satisfied with just being friends.

"Well this is my place." Hinata said with a grin as he pointed at the house behind him. The house was along the outskirts of the city, far away enough from the smog that the night sky twinkled beautifully, stars shining almost as brightly as Hinata's smile. "Thanks for walking me home Kageyama, I really appreciate it!"

Kageyama pursed his lips, his cheeks burning crimson as he finally worked up the courage to say what he wanted. "Oi, Dumbass." He mentally wanted to slap himself in the face at how brash this was coming out.

"What is it?"

"I- I like you." Kageyama stuttered, his voice coming out much more vulnerable than he had intended. "W- Will you... Will you go out with me?" Tobio's heart was thrashing so violently against his ribcage, he was almost certain it was going to burst out of his chest any second now.

"Stupid Bakayama! Of course!" Hinata replied instantly, his own cheeks tinged in pink and dusted with warmth. "Words can't _espresso_ how much you mean to me." Hinata whispered sweetly as he embraced Kageyama, nuzzling against Tobio's chest, the pun earning a grin from Kageyama. The sunset haired teen then leaned up on his tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss against the dark haired boy's lips. Pulling away, Shoyo then looked up into Tobio's dark eyes, an almost sickeningly sweet, wide smile coming across his lips. "I think I love you a _latte_." He then leaned back in and interlocked lips with the darker haired boy, a sensation of warmth more comforting than the dull buzz of coffee, washing over both of their chests.

Kageyama was Hinata's stimulant, his caffeine that kept him going. While Kageyama realized Hinata was the sugar and the sweetener that he lacked, that needed to be added to his bitter soul. Together, they completed one another, Hinata's too caffeinated, sugary sweetness blending in perfect harmony with Kageyama's untainted bitterness, forming the perfect cup of in between.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, a friend and I visit a restaurant so often after school, that a few employees already recognize us and know us because we generally buy either frappes or milkshakes. Anyways, this was my first Coffee Shop! Au, so I hope it didn’t turn out too bad lol. I’ve worked on this little one shot off and on for a couple months, as a side project, but I finally managed to build up the inspiration to finish it. So thanks for reading and I sincerely hope you enjoyed! (I also have this fic posted on Fanfiction.net)


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